Posted By
Alex Speier
On
November 27, 2012 @ 10:50 am
In
General |
3 Comments

According to Buster Olney of ESPN[1], the Yankees[2] are nearing a one-year deal with left-hander Andy Pettitte[3] that would pay the left-hander roughly $11 million in 2013. Pettitte, 40, made 12 starts last year after sitting out the 2011 season. He went 5-4 with a 2.87 ERA along with 69 strikeouts and 21 walks in 75 1/3 innings. He also made a pair of postseason starts, going 0-1 with a 3.29 ERA while making one start in the ALDS against the Orioles and one in the ALCS against the Yankees.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports (via twitter[4]), New York is also close to a one-year deal with Mariano Rivera[5]that would pay their longtime closer — who missed most of 2012 after blowing out his ACL — more than what they are paying Pettitte. Rivera pitched in just nine games in 2012 before suffering his season-ending injury, which broke a streak of nine straight years with at least 60 innings pitched and 17 consecutive seasons of 40 or more innings.

If accurate, Pettitte and Rivera would join Hiroki Kuroda[6] as veterans with track records of success with the Yankees who have re-signed for one-year deals. That structure suits New York’s desire to avoid long-term commitments that would limit the club’s ability to get under the $189 million luxury tax threshold in 2014.